The rise of the remote worker

Starting every day with that morning commute, spending hours of your precious time in static traffic or overcrowded tube stations, mentally clocking that wasted time on top of a likely already long and busy work day.

It doesn’t have to be that way. A new way of working is emerging. The evolution of technology has changed our lives in so many ways, and this means companies can be more flexible with remote and flexi-working. Working from home is becoming more of a norm and, for every start up popping up, every expansion and every new staff member, managers and business owners are faced with the same questions – not only what the work will be, but how and most importantly where it will be done. How much space is needed? How often should staff be stationed at their desks? What is really necessary when it comes to the working environment?

A recent report by OddsMonkey predicted that half of the UK workforce will work remotely by 2020 and this isn’t surprising when you look at the benefits! And while a traditional office is still the norm across most industries, technology advancements have made it increasingly easy to turn your back on it – and there are many reasons why you should.

1: Productivity

Countless research has shown the benefits to an employee’s productivity when remote working. In fact a recent TINYPulse survey found that 91% of remote workers believe they “get more done when working remotely.” Employees who remote work have no office distractions, quiet space to work, flexibility and all round greater freedom to get more done, I can certainly attest to this. Working remotely, allows employees to work where and when they want to allow them to be the most effective, in turn increasing their overall productivity.

2: Work-Life Balance

A happy workforce is the most valuable asset to any business, and getting that work- life balance is infamously elusive in the modern age. Happier staff, with a higher quality of life tend to be far more loyal to a company and surely that’s something every business should strive towards? With greater flexibility and no commute, remote workers are able to achieve that optimum work-life balance far more easily; designing their workdays to work with the demands of modern life. No longer are hours wasted commuting to and from work dealing with another broken down train or a cancelled tube! Personally, working from home allows me to achieve a better quality of life, more of my time is my own and less is wasted on a commuting, giving me greater control over my work day.

3: Strong relationships

Just because you work remotely, doesn’t mean you can’t have a strong bond with your team. In fact, working from home and awareness of that distance just makes you try all that harder to create strong bonds and work closely as a team. Communication matters more than ever! Video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Skype and team collaboration tools such as Slack, Asana and Trello, make building these relationships remotely all that easier and research has shown than many workers actually feel more engaged through the use of video conferencing than office based meetings.

Building a brand up in the UK from its roots in the US, we have seen this really closely. All of our team members, and there are now 6 of us, have gone from predominantly office and desk-based positions to working from home. Acceleration Partners has a purely remote-working culture, one which is valued highly by its team, at a global level, and is central to the company’s culture and vision to change the work/life paradigm. Technology makes it easy to stay connected, with platforms such a Zoom, Slack and Skype we are able to keep in close contact with each other and our clients. We still value the importance of face-time and meet on a bi-weekly basis at our co-working space in Old Street, London too as well as regular team socials.

This is what the future looks like – remote working is not just a trend, it’s here to stay.